About Sage Arts Unlimited - Instructor Profiles: An Interview with Anthony Sell

It's been awhile since I've thought of it, but I think I started in the fall of 1996, so six years.

What courses do you teach/have you taught?

Presently I am the Instructor for the Advanced Tae Kwon Do Course which is held on Tuesday and Thursday Mornings at Engelmann Hall Gymnasium at 9:30 AM. I also substitute occasionally for Mr. Koch's Beginner Tae Kwon Do class in the same location when he is called to duty as a UW Police Detective.

How did you first get involved in the activity you teach?

I began studying Tae Kwon Do and other Martial Arts in 1987 at a school known then as Topkick Martial Arts, which existed through the City of Greenfield Recreation Department. This is where I met Mr. Koch, he was my senior at that school. I became an instructor at that school and continued working for my instructor as a Chief Instructor and Enrollment Director when the school became Martial Arts America. In 1997 I broke away from that school and started my own, Sage Arts Unlimited Martial Arts & Fitness.

Currently I am the owner and Chief Instructor/Enrollment Director at Sage Arts Unlimited, I work as a Personal Fitness Trainer and Athletic Performance Advisor for our more advanced athletes. I am an Associate Lecturer of Tae Kwon Do through the UWM School of Allied Health, Dept. of Human Kinetics. I've also worked part-time as a Bouncer at a local Gentleman's Club establishment for the last three years.

What qualifications do you have for teaching in this field? What other qualifications and certifications do you have?

I hold a Nidan (2nd Degree) Black Belt in Modern Tae Kwon Do, I am a Level One Certified Instructor under Sifu Rick Faye of the Minnesota Kali Group in the Martial Arts of Kali, Muay Thai and the Jun Fan Martial Arts (Jeet Kune Do).

I have over ten years of teaching experience, working with more than 500 students ranging in age from 3-65 years, including work with students who have learning disabilities, vision and speech impediments, physical limitations and unique circumstances. Over the last three years I have also worked with more than two dozen clients as a Personal Fitness Trainer, Athletic Trainer and Weight Management Specialist.

I have been training in Martial Arts for more than 15 years and have experience in Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do/Jun Fan Martial Arts, Inosanto-LaCoste System of Kali, Doce Pares Escrima, Lameco Escrima, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Panantukan, Dumog, Chin-Na, Maphilido Silat, Mande Mude Pencak Silat, Shoot Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, La Boxe Francais Savate, Muay Thai, Aikido, Bujinkan Ninpo, Vale Tudo, Pankration, Kyokushin Karate and Wisconsin Defense and Arrest Tactics (DAAT). I also have experience in Letha Yoga, Chi Gung, Shiatsu, Tui Na and other forms of Therapeutic Massage and bodywork.

What is your favorite thing about the subject you teach?

I enjoy the opportunity to watch students mature as individuals, finding their interest in Martial Arts, and pursuing it to a degree of proficiency. There is a gleam in their eyes when the potential that this practice has opens to them, I live for that. I also like it when I see old students after some time, and hear what they've been up to. My students span three generations.

What other sport/recreation activities are you involved in?

I am a Full-contact stickfighter and often compete in and officiate for the World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation Regional and National Tournaments. I have also trained fighters for Toughman competitions, Muay Thai kickboxing, Olympic Pankration and Sport Karate/Tae Kwon Do tournaments.

Something Interesting about you (hobbies, little known facts, etc.):

I am an avid guitar player, in fact I started playing the guitar the same year I began Martial Arts. I am a published poet, and I have also worked as a studio and freelance Web Designer, Graphic Designer/Illustrator, and did the work on my own website - www.sageartsunlimited.com.

What would you say to a student who was interested in taking your course?

If you are interested in learning about the Martial Arts, and are willing to approach the material without preconception, bias or assumptions, you will benefit greatly from this class. This class is designed to enable you to discover what works best for you. Come early, and come ready to sweat.

If you have a philosophy, position or personal perspective towards your subject area, include it here:

As I say in my syllabus, the whole of Martial Arts Concept, Theory and Practice can be summed up into one word: Prepare. In order to do that you need to examine the central question of all Martial Artists - What are you doing this for?

I firmly believe, to paraphrase one of the founders, that the Truth in Martial Art is different for each individual. My goal is to foster an open and inquisitive mind with an appreciation for pragmatism and creativity.